The Ministry of Heath Monday announced sharp reduction in the price of 565 drugs, mostly for chronic diseases, after intense negotiations with international drug manufacturers. Senior health officials said the drop in prices ranges from between five percent to as high as 60 percent for drugs used in the treatment of lifestyle diseases as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. “This will help the poor patients who cannot afford treatment,” said a ministry official. More than 20 per cent of the UAE population suffers from diabetes, and an equally large number are either over weight or obese. Hypertension Many suffer from hypertension and other heart related complications and the treatment of these patients is putting a huge burden on the exchequer every year. Many patients are not covered by health insurance in Dubai and other emirates, and cannot afford expensive drugs to cut down cholesterol for example, which leads to heart attacks. The price of 67 drugs will first drop immediately from July 1 and then the cost of the rest 498 drugs will be reduced from September 1, Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Health, said today. The price of drugs in the UAE will be the lowest among countries in the region, said one health ministry official. The Ministry also today approved a drug, Gilenya, for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that affects the nervous system. “Many people are undiagnosed in the UAE,” said a senior manager with Novartis, the drug manufacturers. Scientists believe that the disease is caused either by a virus or is due to genetic defect. The debilitating disease affects mostly women. UAE is the third country in the world to approve this drug after the US and Russia.